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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Jul 26, 2025; 17(7): 107212
Published online Jul 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i7.107212
Therapeutic strategies for intervertebral disc degeneration: Extracellular vesicles and microRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells
Young-Ju Lim, Min-Soo Seo, Sangbum Park, Gun Woo Lee
Young-Ju Lim, Gun Woo Lee, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu 42415, South Korea
Min-Soo Seo, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea
Sangbum Park, Michigan State University, Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
Sangbum Park, Department of Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
Gun Woo Lee, Department of Medicine, Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
Co-first authors: Young-Ju Lim and Min-Soo Seo.
Author contributions: Lim YJ and Seo MS performed the research and wrote the manuscript, they contributed equally to this article and are co-first authors of this manuscript; Park S validated and interpreted the literature; Lee GW designed the research study and approved final version of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by 2024 Yeungnam University Grant, No. 224A480005.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Gun Woo Lee, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, No. 170 Hyunchung-ro, Namgu, Daegu 42415, South Korea. gwlee1871@gmail.com
Received: March 18, 2025
Revised: April 15, 2025
Accepted: June 17, 2025
Published online: July 26, 2025
Processing time: 128 Days and 18.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) has been focused on the condition that is linked to several pathological condition, but no effective treatment has been reported so far. Due to the limitations of mesenchymal stem cell-based trials for IDD regeneration, extracellular vesicle or microRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cell have been evaluated as the next generation of therapeutic option for IDD. Thus, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview regarding the IDD including anatomical considerations and therapeutic trials with a particular focus on extracellular vesicles and microRNAs. The authors also discuss the challenges and future directions in translating these innovative therapies into clinical practice.